1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to environmental clean ups, and more particularly to a polymer-based molded plastic configured to absorb contaminants.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional methods for responding to environmental spills include those of U.S. Pat. No. 4,420,573, which discloses a method of treating salt water-in-oil dispersions that includes mixing with the dispersion a latex of a rubber having a high wet gel strength, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,143,172, which discloses a method for ameliorating hydrocarbon spills in marine and inland waters.
Conventional absorbents include that of U.S. Pat. No. 7,381,768, which discloses a composition having a hydrophobic polymer phase and a water-swollen super absorbent polymer phase. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 6,841,077 discloses a hydrocarbon absorbing polymeric absorbent; U.S. Pat. No. 4,039,489 discloses a polymer system and method for absorbing fats or oils; and U.S. Publication No. 2001/0002386 discloses a granular absorbent based on calcium sulfate that may be used for absorbing oil and water-based liquids.
However, conventional compositions and methods may have various shortcomings. For instance, conventional compositions may have limited oil absorption capabilities. Conventional methods may be impractical to carry out on a large scale or may not be able to remove a satisfactory amount of contaminant from the environment.